A heavenly lunch made upstairs

Imagine this: It’s lunchtime, and your stomach is growling. You are seated comfortably in chic, contemporary restaurant with panoramic views of the Petronas Twin Towers and surrounding areas. Around the corner, fresh Western Cuisine is being cooked ‘a la minute’ by six or seven of Kuala Lumpur’s young rising chefs. Hot and cold appetizers, mains and desserts are introduced and then served to you by these chefs. They tenderly lay out a portion on your plate, and you are left to delight in the fine aromas. Then you reach for your fork, and take a bite. Then you find yourself a little closer to heaven.

Then, imagine this: You can have as many servings as you want. An all-you-can-eat lunch served to your table.

This is the latest lunch concept at Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill, on the 6th floor of Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The new ‘Unlimited Lunch’ available Monday to Friday from noon allows guests two and a half hours of pure bliss at the dining table, with no queuing at buffet lines.

As I tear into a freshly baked olive loaf and smother it in truffle butter, I find myself stumped at the sheer simplicity of the concept. It’s pure genius! Dilly (Red Breakfast) arrives a little late and is shocked that we are still on our appetizers. “We’re on round three,” I tell her. We were offered a nice assortment of starters, which I secretly decided to call ‘Petite Palate Pleasers’.

It was hard to resist the sumptuous Pan Seared Scallop with Orange Reduction, served conveniently in a designer ceramic spoon. One after another they were polished off, the delicate scallop and smooth, tangy sauce dissolved in my mouth.

I adored the Deep Fried Wild Mushroom Risotto Ball, perfectly round, crispy and golden brown. Beware though, it is piping hot inside. Make sure you split it open and allow the bouquet of simmered mushrooms, garlic and cheese tease your nostrils before popping it in your mouth.

A timeless classic, the Ceasar Salad with Roasted Chicken, was outstanding. Crunchy green leaves coated in a scrumptious dressing of mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, olive oil and a hint of anchovies.

We also tried the Crispy Vegetable Puff with Basil Pesto & Carrot Puree before indulging in the soup of the day. This was divine! A hearty, flavourful portion of Tomato & Crabmeat soup in a stylish bowl I’m proud to say I licked clean. Both times.

Almost forgetting there were mains to come (Terry was on his 11th scallop and Dilly on her third helping of Ceasar Salad), we all thought the starters were more than enough. However, the mains did not disappoint. Spoilt for choice with a selection of beef, chicken, fish, risotto and a chef’s special, a must try is the Grilled Australian Black Angus Beef Sirloin.

Lightly seared on the outside with a soft pink centre, the meat immediately dissolved on contact with your tongue. Drizzled with a sticky homemade Bbq sauce predominantly made from apricot, it was the perfect blend of sweet and savoury. No wonder Terry was on his 6th helping! That’s when the Chef sent out a whole plate just for him.

We reveled in the mouthwatering Grilled Baby Chicken with Chimichuri Rub. Marinated in a blend of red wine, soya sauce, chili, shallots, garlic and coriander for up to 24 hours, it’s no surprise that each morsel was tender and juicy, bursting with flavour. Fish lovers should try the Rock Salt Baked Live Sea Bass with Braised Vegetables and vegetarians can opt for the rich and creamy Asparagus Risotto cooked with asparagus butter, topped off with shavings of Parmesan Cheese.

The young and talented Chef Erwin showed promise when he joined the Hotel as a Chef de Partie, and was quickly moved up the ranks to head the kitchen at Gobo Upstairs. Soft spoken but quick witted, when I ask him if his ingredients are locally sourced, he jokes that the scallops are freshly fished out from the depths of the Klang River. Well, if that were true it would come in handy especially after Terry orders another round of scallops as we move on to dessert!

We still had space for the delectable chocolate sacher fudge cake, caramelized banana coconut tart, peach saffron tart and pear jalousie. Little bites of heaven. Chef Erwin’s specials for the day were worth the wait. A Dacquoise that Jeremy called a ‘Blueberry Burger’ (check out my blog to vote for who had the best ‘blueberry burger face’) and a Chocolate Pistachio Financier that was lusciously sweet and nutty.

In my opinion, this was the perfect lunch. Delightful appetizers, scrumptious mains and delectable desserts all served to you at your table. You can take as many as you want. No queues at buffet lines and there is no limit.

The only restriction? The size of your stomach…

Try Gobo Upstairs for yourself! Listeners have a chance to win an UNLIMITED LUNCH for two worth RM 115 in the Big Red Food Review, Eleven2Three with Aly.

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Mondays to Fridays 12:00noon to 2:30pmUnlimited Stairs
An all-you-can-eat lunch served to your table. Delightful appetisers, mains and desserts circulate. You take as many helpings as you want.

RM50++ per person including free flow soft drink
RM60++ per person including one glass red/white wine